The next day.
Wang Yanfei followed the same process as yesterday and left for work on time.
The train was still silent, the city still surreal, the tower still looming over everything.
His only hope for today was that nothing would go wrong.
But the more you feared something, the sooner it showed up.
In the morning, they were repairing some kind of conveyor he did not even know the purpose of.
The machine kept thudding from inside as if it might explode at any moment, yet the others remained as numb as always.
Wang Yanfei copied the person next to him, twisting a tool on an unknown mechanical joint.
At that moment, a loud bang sounded as the door was shoved open from outside.
Two soldiers in black exoskeleton armor strode in.
Wang Yanfei's heart sank, but when he saw the workers around him only glance up before returning to their tasks, he imitated them and continued working.
One soldier raised an electronic clipboard, swept his eyes across the room, and announced a name.
"Benjamin Roland."
Before Wang Yanfei could react, the other soldier was already beside him, placing a heavy, undeniable hand on his shoulder.
"Benjamin Roland, according to upper-level dispatch, you are being temporarily reassigned from this sector."
The soldier flipped his wrist, and a light screen unfolded in front of him, several lines flashing by.
[Reassignment order: Proceed to upper work zone for additional inspection—]
Before he could read the rest, the screen snapped shut.
The next second, they were already lifting him by both arms.
The workers beside him merely raised their eyelids, then lowered their heads again and continued operating their consoles.
He was dragged out of the work zone and pushed down a wide gray corridor.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Do you need me to cooperate with something?"
The two soldiers acted as if they had not heard him at all, maintaining complete silence.
When he tried to turn his head, the soldier pressed harder on his shoulder, forcing him forward.
He had no idea how long they walked before they stopped in front of an elevator.
One soldier tapped his arm-mounted terminal, and the door slid open without a sound.
Before he had time to react, he was shoved inside.
The elevator began to rise.
The walls dimmed rapidly, leaving only a narrow strip of cold white light above, making the confined space feel even more suffocating.
This silent ascent felt somehow more oppressive than being dragged down the corridor.
Before that feeling could settle, a chime sounded.
The elevator stopped. The door slid open.
Outside was a dim corridor.
At the end of it stood a massive metal door, its surface perfectly smooth.
In front of the door stood black-armored guards taller and bulkier than ordinary soldiers, each holding a long high-tech weapon.
When they approached, one guard raised his weapon to block them.
The soldier escorting him lifted the clipboard. After scanning it, the guard stepped aside.
At the doorway, the hand on his shoulder finally released.
"Go in," one soldier said coldly.
Facing the door, Wang Yanfei felt his nerves strangely calm.
This was definitely not a routine position reassignment. In fact, he faintly sensed that this might be the entrance to an abyss.
But if he truly wanted to live as an ordinary person, he should have stayed home earlier, pretending to know nothing.
He should not have put on this skin and come all the way here.
In a sense, this was the life he had chosen.
He took a deep breath and could clearly feel his heartbeat speeding up.
Then he stepped inside.
——————————
By the floor-to-ceiling windows stood a massive office desk, exaggerated to the point of absurdity.
The desktop was polished like a mirror, decorated with several metal ornaments that looked out of place.
Behind the desk, a man lounged in a comfortable leather chair with his feet lazily propped on the tabletop.
When he saw someone enter, he froze for half a second, then instantly sat up as if shocked, adjusted his clothes, and switched into a proper expression.
"Ah, you're here? Sit, sit."
He pointed casually at a chair.
Wang Yanfei sat down cautiously.
The man looked him up and down, then broke into a broad, hearty grin.
"Brother. This must be our first time meeting, right?"
Wang Yanfei was silent.
Brother?
Benjamin had a brother?
This man definitely did not look like a family member.
Seeing his blank expression, the man waved a hand grandly.
"Hahaha, don't be nervous. I heard you're a new brother joining the Restart Society, right? From the look of you, you're still not used to things."
Restart Society.
This was the second time Wang Yanfei had heard the name. The first was when he was stopped by the security officer at the city gate.
Which meant they now assumed he was part of the Restart Society.
The man did not care what was going on in Wang Yanfei's mind and continued talking.
"Brother, you really need to adapt. We're all brothers in the Restart Society, but you stand out way too much."
Wang Yanfei nodded silently, following the man's script.
Seeing his cooperation, the man nodded with satisfaction. "But don't worry, I'll get you reassigned."
He dragged a tablet from the table and tapped a few things.
"How about I assign you to warehouse management? It's quiet there, not many people around, perfect for getting used to things."
It felt like a gift from heaven. Wang Yanfei immediately nodded and went along with it.
"Then I'll trouble you. Since you've helped me so much, should I… do something for you?"
The man slapped the desk.
"Hah. You really aren't simple. You've nailed the human act."
Then he mysteriously pulled a sealed document from the drawer and placed it on the desk.
"It's like this. I have confidential information here that needs to be given to the Hierarch."
He paused, glanced around suspiciously, then leaned close to Wang Yanfei's ear.
"But I don't want to hand it in at tomorrow's Restart Ceremony. Please deliver it to the Left Envoy for me."
Left Envoy…
Wang Yanfei committed the title to memory.
The man coughed lightly and lowered his voice. "And while you're at it, say a few good words for me in front of the Left Envoy. You understand."
Wang Yanfei immediately adopted a serious expression and nodded.
"It's on me. We're brothers, aren't we?"
Hearing that, the man chuckled loudly, slapping the desk again.
"Yes. Yes. Brothers."
His laughter echoed through the oversized office.
After laughing enough, he took a few breaths and composed himself.
"Brother, I won't talk nonsense with you."
"Bringing you here was a last resort. You know… this place is monitored strictly."
He pointed upward at the ceiling.
The meaning was clear.
Wang Yanfei did not need to look up to know that above did not refer to anything physical.
The man then narrowed his eyes and whispered,
"Especially that crazy woman. After seducing several board members, she still wasn't satisfied and now wants to wipe out our Restart Society."
His tone carried obvious fear.
Wang Yanfei nodded.
He understood.
The sudden escort was because someone had noticed his abnormal behavior and reported it.
But he had not expected that the ones above were actually his own people.
So he probed,
"In that case… shouldn't we just…"
He made a gesture across his neck.
The man shook his head immediately.
"You don't get it."
He sighed.
"We've never managed to plant anyone close to a board member. Their security is insane. Each one is like an iron fortress. You can't even get near them."
He spread his hands regretfully.
"Otherwise, brother, we would have restarted the entire Lighthouse City long ago."
Wang Yanfei nodded quietly.
There was too much information.
Almost overwhelmingly much.
Restart the entire Lighthouse City?
That did not sound like some religious movement.
This was a straight-up terrorist organization.